Hello and welcome to this day in esoteric political history from Radiotopia.

My name is Jody Avergan.

This day April 11th, 1877, 210 fitful and contested days after the previous fall's election,

Democrat Wade Hampton becomes the sole and official governor of the state of South Carolina.

Those 1876 elections the previous fall were a crucial referendum on the Republican-led policies of reconstruction following the Civil War.

Republicans were in charge. Rights were somewhat being expanded for black residents of the South.

Federal troops were in many states to help enforce these policies but then in this

moment pro-segregation Democrats started to claw back power throughout the

South and this South Carolina election is so emblematic of what starts to take place

throughout the region and in turn throughout the country

though it's emblematic also a very wild story on its own an incredibly

violent campaign contested election results

there's even a stretch where basically both Democrats and Republicans are

operating as if they are the ones in charge and that the other side doesn't exist

and there's kind of two governments going on in South Carolina at the same time.

So let's go to that state, 1876, 1877, the retrenchment of reconstruction and lots more.

Here, as always, Nicole Hammer of Vanderbilt. of Reconstruction and lots more.

Here is always Nicole Hammer of Vanderbilt and Kelly Carter Jackson of Wellesley.

Hello there.

Hello Jody.

Hey there.

This story leads to this moment where the Democrat takes over as a governor, as sole controlling governor and reconstruction really starts to get clawed back.

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